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Cheers for the library, and for the pioneers who saved a Victorian gem from ‘progress’

To the Editor:

It was just 50 years ago that my wife, Morag, and I moved to the Altamont area, and we lived and enjoyed our life there until 2010. One of the great things about living there was our own library, which offered so much to our family.

I was pleased and moved to read last week in The Enterprise about the latest of several awards that Judith Wines has received on behalf of the many, many people involved in the preservation of the lovely building which is now its home.

Some of the first people we met when we moved to Altamont were part of a group working hard to find a way to stop the D&H railroad from tearing down the train station. Among them were Larry and Win Warner, Lloyd and Ginny Briggs, Harry and Carole DuBrin, Bill and Connie Rowley, and Ed and Bette Cowley. I know there were others but my memory fails me.

Their efforts succeeded, and the train station survived. It went through a number of transformations and owners: For a while, it served as the village offices, and later it housed several different businesses, including a dentist, before it became a library.

We all owe a debt of gratitude for the efforts of the village, the library board, the volunteers, and the donors who have seen this project through to completion. And we also owe a debt to those pioneers of half a century ago who knew that you don’t just tear down a Victorian gem in the name of progress.